Home for Christmas
by katsda52
Summary: Robin and the Titans are all invited to Wayne Manor for Christmas along with a few members of the Justice League. When there is a breakout at Arkham, will anybody get a relaxing holiday?
1. Alfred!

**Hello! I edited. Not new.**

**I do not claim the original concepts of neither the Teen Titans nor Batman as my own. They belong to DC Comics.**

* * *

It was an ordinary day at Titans Tower.

At least, as ordinary as it could be in a giant "T" shaped tower in which 5 teenage superheroes live.

Cyborg was working on a strange and complicated-looking electronic… thingy. It gave off a few sparks every now and then but Cyborg looked pleased at the results.

Raven was reading a poetry book.

Robin was reading a few (hundred) case files.

Starfire had gone to the park or something. Nobody really knew where she was.

And finally, Beast Boy was making himself a sandwich. Tofu, cheese, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomatoes... Cyborg kept shouting at Beast Boy that tofu didn't belong on a sandwich.

Yup. It was an ordinary day. Until…

DING DONG!

"Go see who it is, Beast Boy!" Cyborg yelled, not even looking up from his work.

Beast Boy looked around for the remote control. He found it a few seconds later and used it to set the TV to display who was at the front door.

"Dudes," he said. "It's some old guy in a fancy suit."

Cyborg, Raven, and Robin looked up at the TV.

"Alfred?"

* * *

**Note: In my mind, things don't necessarily follow what cannon dictates. I have decided that there will be a floating timeline. **

**My main resources are: **f**or Batman- the Burton/Schumacher films, Batman: Year One, The Killing Joke, a bit of** **Batman: Death Mask, a bit of Hush; for the Titans- Tiny Titans! (Just kidding!) Actually, the TV show, and only a tiny bit of the comics; For Alfred- the Burton/Schumacher films; The Villains: Some comics, the Teen Titans show, Joker, Lego Batman (don't judge!** _**)-:**_** ), the Burton/Schumacher films; Barbara- ****The Animated Series; Superman- a few comics (especially Birthright), the Justice League TV show; Wonder Woman and the Flash- the Justice League TV show, the animated film (in WW's case); Commissioner Gordon- the Nolan films, Batman: Year One; Everyone else- my imagination**


	2. Intoductions

**I merged together what was previously Chapters 2 and 3.**

* * *

Surprisingly (to the other Titans) that outburst came from Robin.

"Who?" they asked, almost simultaneously.

Robin just ignored them and basically ran out of the room.

The rest of the Titans had no choice but to follow if they wanted their questions answered. And they had a lot of questions.

Robin got to the front door far before anyone else.

He composed himself a bit before opening the door.

"Hello master Dick."

"Hey Alfred," Robin said, grinning. "It's Robin, though. Just for now."

Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven finally showed up at that moment, Beast Boy looking like he tripped a few times. Cyborg was laughing and teasing Beast Boy, while Raven just rolled her eyes.

Robin smiled and said, "Team, this is Alfred. Alfred, this is Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy."

They all said their 'hello's' and Robin invited Alfred inside.

When they got to the living room, Alfred noticed the piles of Robin's files, still spread out on the table.

"Some things never change," he mumbled, shaking his head.

Robin just smiled a bit sheepishly while the rest of the Titans grinned. It wasn't very often that any of them saw their leader even a bit flustered.

Just then, Starfire burst cheerfully into the room.

"Hello my friends," she said happily. "Today was a glorious day at the park and-"

She noticed Alfred.

"Who is this?" she asked, examining him closely. A bit too closely for most peoples' comforts but Alfred wasn't most people. He wasn't too offended when she got within five inches of his face.

"This is Alfred," Cyborg said. "Robin's… Er-"

"I'm his butler. His and master Bruce's, of course," Alfred filled in.

Beast Boy and Cyborg (being the only two, other than Robin, born and raised on Earth) stared at Robin in shock.

Starfire, though, did not really know the significance of having a butler (such as the fact that usually only rich people had them).

Instead of imitating a fish (like Cyborg and Beast Boy) she turned away from Alfred and asked, "For what reason is the TV displaying our door at the front of the tower?"

That innocent question spawned a whole new search for the remote control (led by Cyborg who, of course, insisted on finding it before Beast Boy).

* * *

Raven was the one to find the remote, reaching out with her mind and magic to do so.

Robin didn't participate in the hunt for the remote. Instead, he sat quietly with Alfred, not saying anything.

They watched the Titans search from the relative safety of the couch.

By the time Raven found the remote, though, the place was a huge mess.

And of course, Alfred made them clean up.

And he forced Robin to help, even though he did nothing to contribute to the mess.

In the end, though, none of the Titans complained much. They each found nearly a dozen items that were previously thought to be lost. There was a bit of an awkward silence when the Titans sat back down again (but with their piles of awesome stuff).

Robin broke that silence by asking Alfred why he had come.

Politely, of course.

"I was wondering when you'd ask," Alfred told him.

The Titans waited for him to continue.

"It has to do with my vacation," he said.

"Wait," Beast Boy interjected. "Your spending your vacation _here_. In Jump?"

Alfred looked at BB as if he couldn't believe the green teenager could even _talk_.

"_No_," Alfred said slowly, as if speaking to a kindergartener. "I'm spending my vacation in a private island near Fiji. I'm actually here to invite Robin home to Gotham. And to see if you'd come along if you wish."

Three of the Titans exploded after this announcement. (Not literally, of course, as that _may_ cut the story a bit short...)

"Yes!" Starfire proclaimed. "Let us all go to the home of our beloved friend Robin!"

She was partially drowned out by Beast Boy listing all the things that they would take with them and all the things they would do. And then Starfire was _fully_ drowned out by Cyborg shouting at Beast Boy that they couldn't take tofu on the trip because they were already going to take Cyborg's meat freezer.

Nobody saw Robin just stare at the floor as Alfred watched worriedly.

"Well I guess if you don't want to come home," Alfred said slyly. "Then I don't have to go on vacation after all."

The Titans were shocked into silence.

Then they started trying to convince (scream at) Robin that they should go while he tried to convince Alfred to go on vacation.

Finally, the noise became to much for Robin.

"Alright!" He gave in, annoyed. "We'll go."

Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy cheered.

"But only if you _actually_ go on vacation this time. I don't want to hear that you've been spying again instead like last time."

"I wasn't spying," Alfred snorted. "And you know that you were all very lucky I was there."

"Yeah, we were, but you're still going on vacation," Robin replied.


	3. While BB Cleans His Room

**I didn't do much to this chapter. Just gave Al a back-up plan.**

A tour of Titans Tower later, all the Titans and Alfred were crowded into Beast Boy's room.

Alfred took one look inside and started scolding the green teenager, which made Beast Boy start frantically cleaning his room.

Raven and Cyborg stood by with a bucket of popcorn, clearly enjoying the show if Cyborg's laughter was anything to go by.

Robin stood in a corner beside a worried Starfire.

It was unclear what she was worried about, whether it be Beast Boy or something else, until Beast Boy started carting trash bags out of his room.

"Mr. Alfred-sir," she said. "For how long may we be at friend Robin's home?"

"For the entire Christmas season," Alfred answered. "If Bruce and Ri- Robin allow it."

"Oh," Starfire said. "And how long is the Christmas season?"

Alfred smiled a grandfatherly smile.

"Anywhere from now until the new year," he told her, smiling somewhat mockingly at Robin (who looked terrified) once he caught his eye.

And Robin had a right to be terrified because when Starfire heard this, she gasped happily and turned to him.

"Oh please, _please_, _PLEASE_! May we please go now, dear friend Robin? Please?" she pleaded.

"Uh... In a week, Starfire?" He asked, looking to Alfred for confirmation.

Alfred nodded.

"Yes, yes. We may be ready by then," he muttered mostly to himself.

"Aw YEAH!" Cyborg exclaimed at the same time Beast Boy said "Cool!" and Starfire joyously shouted "Wonderful!" while hugging Alfred.

"But first we must figure out disguises," Alfred told them, trying to hide his discomfort at being hugged by a super-strong alien girl.

"Disguises?"

"You can't roam around the manor, much less Gotham itself, as the Teen Titans," Alfred explained.

"Cyborg can make disguises," Robin said, completely confident of his friend's abilities.

Cyborg nodded.

"Then I'll need to make the IDs and passports and you'll need to go shopping," Alfred said, again more to himself than anything else. "And, no offense, but I'll have our top scientists create back-up disguises."

"And _you _will need to tell your friends what will happen when we reach Gotham," he told Robin. "and you will have to update your ID."

"Can't we just fake one?" Robin asked, grimacing at waiting in a long line at a government office. "I'm supposed to be in Italy, aren't I?"

"Yes, and everyone will be waiting for the first news of you coming home."

"Fine," Robin said, nearly pouting.

"Well it's late and I'm old," said Alfred as he looked at his watch. "So I must now take my leave."

He smiled at each of the Titans, most of them happily smiling back.

"Clean your room, though," he told Beast Boy sternly.

And then he left.

Robin turned to his friends...


	4. Revealing Robin's Past

**I still don't own the Teen Titans seeing as I'm far too young to even be thinking about forking over enough cash to buy the rights, much less being old enough to have invented our oh-so-awesome, oh-so-loved superhero team. So I don't really know if they would actually act the way I'm making them act.**

"You've got a lot of explaining to do..."

"Yeah. I really do, don't I?" Robin said, more openly nervous than how any of his teammates had ever seen him. "Why don't explain... uh... tomorrow?"

He tried to escape but his team wouldn't let him. They dragged him to the living room and sat him on the couch.

Then Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy stared at Robin, who seemed almost terrified by then (_but he couldn't be_, they all thought).

"I-I guess I should start telling you about myself, shouldn't I?" their leader asked, stuttering a bit.

They nodded.

"Well then the first thing you should know is that I was born and raised in a circus," he started.

Cyborg and Beast Boy stared openly and open-mouthed.

"M-my parents were the acrobats and trapeze artists," Robin continued sadly, looking down at the ground. "And, w-well, when we were old enough and had enough experience, my brother and I joined the act. We were world-famous because we were the only four people on Earth who could land a perfect quadruple front-flip."

Beast Boy gasped in recognition but he didn't interrupt (mostly because he didn't want to jump to a conclusion like _that_).

Robin either ignored him or he didn't notice.

"My dad could land a quintuple front-flip but the press didn't know that," he said, smiling slightly. "And even though I was the youngest and could still do the flips and tricks and stuff on the trapeze too, I got the least attention. Until one night..."

He frowned.

"We were in Gotham and all the rich and _influential_ people in the city were there. I wasn't feeling too good so my mom told me to sit out that show. And that night I overheard a conversation," he paused there, willing himself not to cry.

"They said they'd sabotaged the trapeze," he managed to choke out.

"Dude..." Beast Boy whispered to himself. Then he got up and gave Robin a hug.

Starfire soon joined him.

Raven and Cyborg sat in their chairs, shocked and crying silently for their friend's family.

"The Flying Graysons," Cyborg whispered reaching that horrible realization.

Robin- Richard Grayson- nodded.

"We went to see you once," Beast Boy told Robin after things had calmed down a bit. "Me and my parents, I mean."

"Really?" Robin asked.

"Yeah. In Africa."

"We only did two shows in Africa. In Egypt and in Kenya."

"We went all the way to Kenya from Uganda, I think, where we were camping. I remember 'cuz my dad pointed at you all the way up in the trapeze and he told me very seriously that if I ever even tried doing any of that, he'd kill me."

Robin laughed.

"Well I can't really say that _my_ father told me the same," he said.

"Obviously," Raven said.

"Now hold everything," Cyborg said suddenly. "You went to live with_ Bruce Wayne_, right."

"Yeah..." Robin said, somewhat apprehensively.

There was a bit of a pause.

"THAT IS SO AWESOME!" Cyborg and Beast Boy yelled at the same time.

"Who?" Starfire asked.

Raven, also not being raised on Earth, looked curious as well.

Cy and BB wasted no time in telling the girls everything they knew about THE Bruce Wayne.

When they were finished, Robin said, "He's the 6th richest man in the world, not the 3rd and it's not true that you can't take a picture of the manor from outside of the gates. There's a gap in the security but he'd kill me if I show anyone. Otherwise, that's Bruce. Though he can be _really_ moody at times..."

There was some awkward silence as nobody quite knew what to say.

"And where does the man-of-bats come into this?" Starfire asked.

Robin groaned.

"He may kill me for telling you this, too but uh... seeing as we'll be staying at the manor..."He said, nervous again (and Cyborg and Beast Boy squealed happily). "Well um... Bruce is Batman."

BB and Cyborg nearly fainted.

**Only a few changes here. I erased all the stuff that made Robin sound like Quirrell.**

**(It took me a while to dig up my old, beat-up, held-together-by-tape copy of the first Harry Potter book to look up the proper spelling of the dude's name so you peoples had better be happy Robin can hardly be compared to that simpleton anymore!)**


	5. Beast Boy Freaks Out

**I saw Robin!**

A few days later, Alfred was back and this time, with fake IDs for Starfire and Raven. All they were missing were names and pictures.

When she heard this, Starfire squealed and went to change into one of the outfits she had bought for the trip.

Raven just looked at the blank cards and said, "My name's still Raven."

Alfred nodded.

"Alright," he said. "And your last name?"

She thought for a moment.

"Roth," she said finally. "Like my mom." **(Cliché, I know.)**

And then she left without another word.

"Your IDs will be here soon, I expect," he told Beast Boy and Cyborg. "It takes awhile seeing as they'll be fully legal once I'm through with them."

They thanked him.

He asked BB if he had cleaned his room yet.

BB ran away, hoping to get to his room before Alfred had enough time to inspect.

Starfire returned wearing a purple blouse, a blue skirt, and purple sandals.

She flew dragging a clearly reluctant Raven (who wore all black except for a dark red belt and a ruby choker).

Alfred smiled at them and Raven struggled harder trying to pry herself from her alien friend's grip.

Robin came in holding a camera.

"Hopefully this one doesn't shoot out acid or anything," he said seriously.

Raven struggled a bit harder.

"Relax," he told her, laughing. "I'm sure we probably don't have cameras that shoot out acid. I think."

"Cameras steal your soul," she answered.

He handed Alfred the camera and within minutes, he had the pictures he needed.

"I almost feel sorry for Raven," Cyborg whispered to Robin.

"Feel sorry for me. When I go take my picture, there will be dozens of reporters, I'll be playing the part of snobby rich boy, and I'll be at one of those government offices, seeing as I can't really go anywhere really public. Even Bruce, rich as he is, had to wait hours before they even thought of him last time he had to do something like that," Robin groaned.

Cyborg nodded sympathetically.

"When you put it that way, you poor, poor snobby rich boy."

"I get enough of that from Barbara- Batgirl, I mean- thank-you-very-much."

Beast Boy returned from (most likely) stuffing everything he owned under his bed.

"Batgirl?" He asked excitedly.

Robin nodded.

"Hey Al," Robin said. "Is Babs going to be home?"

"I don't think she mentioned going skiing this year," Alfred replied, not even looking up from his camera.

"You mean I'll get to see THE Batman and THE Batgirl?" Beast Boy squealed.

"Clark and Diana are coming over as well," Alfred said, not really noticing BB was having a minor panic attack.

"Who?" Cyborg asked.

"Superman and Wonder Woman," Robin answered flippantly.

"And you know that the Flash will probably gatecrash," Alfred told him.

Beast Boy was now having a full-blown panic attack.

"The good news is I invited Conner over as well," Alfred said.

"Superboy's coming over?" Robin asked, surprised. "BB will be happy to hear that, won't you Beast Boy?"

His question fell upon pointy deaf ears as Beast Boy had already fainted.

**I have decided that there will be no more superheroes than the ones listed here.**

**There would be the Titans, Superman, Superboy, Batman, Batgirl, the Flash, Wonder Woman, and Alfred. And Krypto and Ace (the Bat-hound) will also be there even though they aren't mentioned here.**

_**Under careful consideration, I have decided that Superboy WILL in fact attend even though he technically wasn't alive during Richard Grayson's time as Robin. I want my Superboy dammit! (But thanks anyways to those of you that pointed that out! You get... PIXELS! Don't ask me why unless you want me to devote a chapter to my explanation.)**_


	6. Flight to Gotham

**Spent the whole summer travelling, had a HUGE case of writer's block, and became very, very, _very_ busy. I did write this chapter (after 5 drafts) and edit a few other chapters. Anyone else go to the Wizarding World of HP and thought it was absolutely awesome?**

* * *

It took a while, but the Titans managed to scavenge up all they needed to visit Gotham and, to Beast Boy, Raven, and Starfire's surprise, Robin and Alfred managed to persuade Cyborg to leave behind his precious T-Car.

Pretty soon, they were on Bruce Wayne's private jet, waiting for it to take off.

Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire were practically jumping in their seats. Robin, Raven, and Alfred were a bit more sedate (though things kept randomly exploding at the tower, you never could know with Raven).

Their surroundings were luxurious, so Beast Boy started exploring as a small cat.

Starfire didn't like the takeoff.

Beast Boy didn't like the lack of airline peanuts. (They tried to explain that the airplane wasn't part of any airline but he just wouldn't listen.)

Cyborg got airsick.

Robin and Alfred argued about something that nobody else payed any attention to.

Raven read a book.

It was _almost_ like a regular day at the tower.

The real surprise came when they all changed into their non-superhero clothes.

Because it was an airplane, there was only one, very tiny bathroom.

First was Beast Boy. To the rest of the Titans' dissatisfaction, he still looked like Beast Boy. Even when they solved the whole "Green skin" problem.

Cyborg, once they disguised the cybernetic part of him, looked like a regular high school jock. This was explained by the fact that he _was_ actually a regular high school jock before the accident that took most of his limbs and whatnot.

Raven looked a bit more goth, if that were possible. In fact, she was posing as a goth. After changing, she sat back down to read without another word.

Starfire was the exact opposite. She wore a bright yellow sundress that clashed horribly with her hair, which she had used a temporary dye to color it blonde just for their visit to Gotham. Her enthusiasm was so tangible that nobody wanted to tell her that she looked terrible.

She, luckily, wore a few things that disguised some of her more alien features.

It was Robin that received the most attention, seeing as none of the Titans had ever seen his eyes. They had always been hidden behind his mask.

"Whoa," said Beast Boy "Your eyes are blue!"

"I know," Robin said.

"You're dressed like a preppy rich boy!" Cyborg laughed.

Robin scowled before repeating, "I know."

He swatted away Alfred's hands when they tried to put some type of goop on his hair, probably gel.

He and the other boys were saved by the arrival of the flight attendants. They served sodas, ice cream, and sushi (which, to everyone's surprise, Cyborg refused, saying that his experience in Japan completely ruined his appetite for sushi).

They all talked about things they wanted to see in Gotham. Alfred recommended a few museums and the Amusement Mile. He repeatedly reminded them not to stray into Crime Alley and to stay very far away from Arkham.

Robin received a glare for trying to be logical by reminding Alfred that the Amusement Mile intersects Crime Alley at one point.

Before they knew it, they were flying over the Gotham skyline.

"It almost looks like a safe place to live from up here," Robin remarked.

"Yes, well... Appearances can be misleading," Alfred replied.

Beast Boy, Starfire, and Cyborg wrestled over the windows, all trying to catch the first glimpse of Gotham. Even Raven snuck a few glances out the window.

They were soon told to buckle up and prepare for landing.

Cyborg got airsick again. He also broke an armrest by gripping it too hard.

Luckily, there were no more mishaps and the plane landed safely.

"Well children," Alfred said, smiling ("We aren't children!" the Titans hissed angrily.), "When you step off this plane, you are officially five almost-regular teenagers."

And with that, the plane doors opened and they were carefully shoved out the door.

* * *

**I actually finished this yesterday but I fell asleep and I would have uploaded earlier today except I got distracted by pictures of robots. (I'm a sucker for a cute humanoid robot, droid, or even a box with wheels programmed to do something simple. It's the ones that have artificial skin and hair that scare me. But that Einstein one is nice! *coos over ASIMO* Cyoot-est wobot evah! ... Yeah, I'm done now.) **

**TTFN!**


	7. Fanclubs and Villains

**Been busy as a bee. (**_**You**_** try building 3 robots in such a limited time.) Not all the no-update time has been filled with robots, though. (It's also been filled with hermit-crab deaths. =( Aww...) My schedule should be clearing up a bit in mid-March. Then it'll fill up again in May. Therefore, I'll have April halfway-free! YAY!**

**So who's been watching Young Justice? According to Wikipedia (not the most reliable source, I know), _that _Robin is the same as _this _Robin.**

**I would like to thank the people that have reviewed/ added to Story Alerts/ added to Favorites. I try to keep this story clear and easy to read. I'm seriously sorry for the shortness of all the chapters. I write without glasses and I can hardly see my computer screen from 8 inches away without them (and 8in is really pushing it) so I write with a really big font size and that messes with me sometimes.**

**As always, I make mistakes and, as long as it doesn't interfere with my (dramatic pose) _vision_, I will make any necessary corrections pointed out to me. As it says somewhere in my profile, I don't believe in editing. (I believe in hopefully doing it right the first time.)**

**

* * *

**

"Mr. Grayson, why did you suddenly leave for Italy?"

"Is there any truth in the rumors saying that you left because of expulsion from St. Bartleby's?"

"Who are your friends?"

"Why come back now?"

The reporters swarmed around the Titans, shouting out questions, taking pictures, recording for the news... It was rather claustrophobia-inducing.

"This is Korinna Andrews, Raven Roth, Victor Stone, and Garfield Logan. They're friends from school. I've never been expelled, not even from St. B's. I left because I felt like I needed a change of scenery. And I'm back _now_ because... It's the holidays. And, of course, because I get more gifts if the presents don't have to be shipped overseas," Robin answered expertly, grinning.

Anyone who knew him as well as the other Titans did could tell that it was a completely fake smile.

A few Gotham City Police Officers had to part the crowd before the Titans could even move. They had to pause twice, once for a group photo for a magazine and another time for Robin to autograph random papers and stuff, but they finally reached the limo waiting for them.

Miraculously, Alfred had managed to circumnavigate the crowd. He was waiting for them in the limo, and he seemed like he was waiting quite a while, judging by his slightly smug smile.

As soon as the doors were safely shut, Robin collapsed and glared at Alfred.

"You invited the fanclub?" he demanded.

"You have a fanclub?" Beast Boy laughed.

"He has 4 and I only invited one," Alfred informed them.

"Four fanclubs? What'd you do to earn four fanclubs?" asked Cyborg after he picked his jaw off the floor.

"There's the Richard Grayson Admiration Society, the Flying Graysons Fanatics Association, the 'Robin is better in Gotham' club, which is a response to the 'Robin is a Titan' sect of the Teen Titans fan administration," answered Alfred. "Did I miss any?"

"No," Robin said angrily. "But BB's got, like, five!"

"Five?" Cyborg shouted. He looked at Beast Boy as if he were trying to see the appeal, but was unable to.

"I'm a STAR!" BB exclaimed happily, jumping to his feet. He fell over when the Richard Grayson Admiration Society finally moved out of the way and the car started moving.

Beast Boy's antics were quickly ignored by the other Titans in favor of staring out the window at Gotham.

"It looks scary," Starfire commented.

"That's just the gothic architecture and all the shadows," Robin said. "There's not really anything to be afraid of."

"Of course! There's absolutely nothing to worry about if you make sure to stay on well-lit streets, not to talk to too many strangers, not to get lost, and to stay away from the city's so-called 'red zones'," Alfred said reassuringly.

This, understandably, did not reassure Starfire at all.

"So why do you have a fanclub as Grayson?" Cyborg asked.

"Money probably," Dick said, shrugging.

"And the humanitarian work," Alfred added. "It was after that thing in Africa that the fanclub started expanding to what it is today."

"Bruce said I needed to amass community service hours for college."

"But you didn't need to go all the way to Africa to do so."

"Frequent flyer miles," Robin said as justification. "And it's all Clark's fault!"

"Don't blame Clark," Alfred scolded.

"He's the one who leaked it," Dick pouted, knowing he already lost.

"But he did not mean to," said Alfred, and therefore ending the argument.

"I'll know I deserve that speech credit when I can beat _him _in an argument," Robin muttered to his friends.

**Meanwhile…**

It was a regular day at Arkham Asylum when…

"Unca Hattahl!" A teenage girl screeched, bursting into the rec room the more dangerous inmates were occasionally allowed in if they behaved.

"Chessie!" Jervis Tetch, also known as the Mad Hatter, greeted happily. "How have you been, dear child?"

"I'm sorry, Unca! I didn't mean to be almost late! It's just that… The little birdie wasn't in his tower!" 'Chessie' pouted.

The Mad Hatter pondered this for a second.

"In that case," he exclaimed, "we can go back by railway!"

"Just what I was thinking, Unca Hattah!" Chessie exclaimed.

"You might want to step back," the Hatter advise the Penguin, who was watching them from his seat on the couch facing their tiny TV.

The Penguin, being a smart bird, moved to the other side of the room. Everyone else followed his example.

It was a good thing they did.

BOOM!

A series of explosions rocked the whole building. When the dust cleared, two things were clear.

There would be no TV for a while and…

There was now a straight path to the outside world where said TV once was placed.

All the other inmates looked in surprise at Jervis and his niece, having previously underestimated them, just in time to see 'Chessie' put on a mask of a grinning cat and run, giggling, out the new corridor. The Hatter followed. (And was that Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum?)

The Joker laughed.

"Chessie!" he said in between giggles. "Chessie like Cheshire!"

And he laughed and laughed and laughed…

And ran after them.

* * *

**Oh! And I forgot to mention that I'm supposed to be chosing what classes to take next year so those thoughts might have bled in here when I was translation from hard-copy to digital. (This was originally supposed to be 2 chapters but I ruled them as too short.)**

**They should be at the Manor in the next chapter. Questions, comments, concerns...?**


	8. Shortest Chapter Ever!

**A very short chapter. My prediction of free time is incongruous with reality.**

* * *

It took a while to get to Wayne Manor, even with the police escort assisting them (the fanclub was _still_ following behind them).

When they reached the gate, the police had to remain outside for both security reasons and to try to make the fanclub go home (or wherever else they went when not stalking the rich and famous).

"Whoa!" BB said as they drove through the expansive Wayne Manor lawns on the gravel roads and caught the first full view of the manor itself.

"You lived _here_?" Cyborg exclaimed.

"It is very large," Starfire commented, staring at the manor with wide eyes.

Even Raven looked impressed.

"I got lost a gazillion times the first year. That was when Bruce made it a rule for me to carry around my communicator," Robin said.

"Good thing, too," Alfred added. "He got lost quite a few times even after that."

"Even Bruce gets lost sometimes... And it's _his _manor!" Robin said in his own defense.

The car arrived at the front door and the driver got out and opened the car door.

They all got out, Alfred tipped the driver, and the driver sped off. **(Alfred tips generously.)**

"A rental, Al? Really?" Robin complained teasingly.

"I _would_ have brought the Bentley but I didn't want any scratches," Alfred explained dismissively. Then to the other Titans, he said, "Welcome to Wayne Manor. If it is on some type of pedestal, it's most likely expensive. Do not touch. Other than that, you're welcome to do as you please."

The entrance hall was unlike anything most of the Titans had ever seen. Every nook and cranny practically screamed "expensive!"

It was, however, very dark. That was to be expected, though, seeing as they were in Gotham in December. They were lucky there wasn't a snowstorm.

"You're grounded," a voice said behind them, making everyone but Alfred and Robin jump.

"For what?" Robin protested before even turning around.

"You stole from the Wayne Industries Research Division at Jump City and were arrested in Japan _and _you were overbudget three times. Also, you left only telling Barbara. You made Alfred worry."

The Titans looked at Alfred. He looked as impassive as ever.

"But-"

"Alfred and I both agreed to accept St. Bartleby's offer to take you on as a temporary student. Starting Monday, you will be in school until winter break plus a week after break, even if your team leaves before then. You could have gotten seriously hurt and there would have been no Alfred to fix you up when it happened," Bruce Wayne lectured. "And seriously. A giant T-shaped tower?"

Robin nodded.

Bruce sighed. "I suppose I should be glad it wasn't an R-shaped tower. Welcome back, kiddo. Proud of you."

He ruffled Robin's hair (which Robin only lightly protested) and then he was gone.

There was a pause as none of the Titans knew really what to do and Alfred had slipped away during the distraction. It was more than slightly awkward.

Then Cyborg exclaimed, "I just saw Bruce Wayne!"

* * *

**I had this scene or alternate versions of it in my mind since the beginning. I did not plan to send Robin to school. I did plan to have him grounded, though, for the reasons I listed.**

**TTFN and goodnight! ('Tis midnight-ish where I live.)**


	9. The Chaos Begins!

**I got through the robotics competitions, an internship, and moving. Now I just have to finish my summer assignments and then... I still won't have time because of school. D=**

* * *

**At an unknown location...**

"So, uh... What'dya bust us out for?" The Joker asked the Cheshire Cat.

"Unca Hattah has to buy me a Christmas present. Then we gotta go ice skating. And we need a Christmas tree. And we gotta go carolling and play out in the snow..."

The villains all traded their "evil smirks", just for the sake of it, which Scarface sadly couldn't do.

"We can help with that," Ivy said, smiling kindly at the little girl.

And so they started planning...

* * *

**Meanwhile at the Manor...**

"Uhh... Guys? I think I'm lost again," Beast Boy said into his communicator.

"What floor are you on?" Robin asked.

"The 10th?"

"There is no 10th floor," came the confused answer.

"Am I in some freaky alternate dimension in which space zebras and monsters from underneath the bed roam free and wild, looking for green Beast Boys to eat?" Beast Boy asked, panicking.

Robin, as luck would have it, rounded the corner a few seconds later.

Beast Boy squealed in happiness (something he would later deny ever happening) and jumped onto Robin with a big hug.

Robin was too surprised to keep steady, and so he fell, right atop a pedestal holding a vase.

CRASH!

They stared at each other, wide-eyed before Robin regained his senses and ran, leaving Beast Boy to be scolded by Alfred.

* * *

**Elsewhere in the Manor...**

Bruce, Raven, Cyborg, and Starfire were seated at the overly-long dinner table.

It was quiet.

Bruce stared at the Titans.

The Titans stared at Bruce.

Robin ran into the room.

"What did you break?" Bruce asked, slightly amused.

"Me?" Robin asked innocently. "I didn't break anything. Beast Boy, though..."

"Were you not looking for him?" Starfire asked.

Robin pretended not to hear and sat down as if nothing happened.

And just in time, too! Alfred came in only seconds later, dragging a repentant-looking Beast Boy by the ear.

"Dinner will be served shortly," Alfred said in that unfazed British butler way after he deposited Beast Boy in an empty seat.

Poor Beast Boy looked as if he was about to cry.

"Space zebras?" Bruce asked with a faint smirk.

"...It could happen!"

Cyborg and Robin snickered.

"Tell him, Star! It's possible, right?" Beast Boy asked, trying to defend what he had said.

Even Starfire looked amused as she denied ever seeing anything that looked like a zebra anywhere other than Earth.

* * *

The next morning, the Titans, Bruce, and Alfred were all seated or standing around the smallest kitchen in the manor, watching the news. Robin was dreading the start of school tomorrow and the rest had been teasing him about it until this little tidbit came on the morning news:

"This is Sandi Rayne," the reporter cheerfully yelled at the camara, "live from Gotham's super-mega toy store where some of the Gotham rogues were spotted only a few hours ago in the company of a girl in a cat costume."

Her image cut off the screen to be replaced by surveylance camara footage of the toy store from the night before.

"As you can see here," the peppy newslady continued, "The scarecrow came in, unnoticed even though he was in full costume, and planted some kind of gas bomb among the toys. Only after he finished did he reveal himself to the staff and patrons of the store by using his toxin on the manager of the toy store and then setting off the bombs.

"It is then that the Mad Hatter and a girl presumably dressed as the Cheshire Cat came in wearing gas masks, followed by Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Then came a few henchmen dressed in uniforms reserved for the Penguin's people, followed by Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy.

"These villains spent a good half-hour browsing the aisles and loading up shopping carts according to the young girl's instruction before a school bus crashed in through the north wall of the shop. The Joker came out and supervised as the rest loaded the bus with toys, stopping only to give one of his signature smiles to an unconscious patron who is now in Gotham General, and then sped away to an unknown location."

The school bus shown in the security footage pulled away just as Sandi finished her summary of events and the scene switched back to Sandi, now in front of the gaping hole left by the school bus.

"The school bus has been returned to the school district that it came from with only minor damage to the vehicle. Back to you guys there at the studio!"

The reporters, camaramen, and newspeople back at the studio seemed speechless before someone realized that they were still on the air and things continued as normal.

Back in the Batman's smallest kitchen, Bruce and the Titans were still in a daze.

Bruce's and Robin's excuse was that this did not fit the personalities on the villains mentioned at all. The rest of the Titans were shocked at the ferocity of this crime. There was never anything really like this at Jump and none of the news programs would have ever shown what the Joker did to that man.

This was what Alfred Pennyworth had to deal with on Sunday morning.

* * *

**This is actually 2 chapters smushed together because I can't write long chapters. Bleh.**


End file.
